Improvement in cranks for driving sewing-machines and other machinery



" UNITED STA-TES' PATENT (`).FIICE. `v

TURNER WILLIAMS, or PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, AsSIeNon. To HIM- SEL'F AND DAvID IInAToN, 2D, or SAMErLAcn.

IMPROVEMENT IN CRANKS FOR DRIVING OEWINO-MACIIINES AND OTHER MACHINERY.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 36,263, dated August 19, 1862.

To all whom it tay concern:i

Be it known that I, TURNER WILLIAMS, of

' Providence, in the county of Providence andv State of Rhode Island, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Cranks for Driving Sewing-Machines and other Machinery; and I do hereby declare that the following` .is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a front view of my improvement applied to the crank. Fig. 2 is a'plan of the same. Fig. 8 is a front view of a sectionA by the line a a of Fig. 2. Figs. 4, 5, 6, 7 are details, which are referred to 'in the course of the description. Fig. 8 is a vertical section by the line e e of Fig. 2. Fig. 9 is a vertical section by the line d d of Fig. 2. Fig. 1O is a section by the line g g, Fig. 3. Fig. 11 is a section bythe line k'k, Fig. 4.

Similar letters of reference denote corre-- sponding parts in all the figures.

The improvement hereinafter described has special reference to the improvement in cranks for driving sewing-machines andy other machinery described inthe schedule attachedto Letters Patent No. 2,723, granted to Turner Villiams and David Heaton, 2d, assignees of Turner Williams, under date of November 12, 1861, in which the connecting-rod which connects the treadle with the crank is attached to twoauxiliary pins, instead of directly to the crank-pin, and by means of two friction-pawls arranged and operating in connection with the said auxiliary pins and the crank-pin. The auxiliary pins are alternately connectedand disconnected to and from the crank pin, so that the force exerted upon the treadle is exerted upon the advance auxiliary pin, (considering the direction in which the' crank is to turn,) instead of directly upon-the crank-pin, whereby the crank is made to turn in but one direction, and to entirely avoid stopping upon the dead-centers 7 so-called.

4My invention in this case is an improvement in the construction and arrangement of the improvement described in the patent above referred to; and it consists, first, in the peculiar -construction and arrangement of the frictionpawls with the two auxiliary pins and a cranknecting-rod which connects the crank withthe treadle or other source of motion for attaching the said rod to the said auxiliary pins, so as to operate the twofriction-pawls as designed in the act of turning the crank by means of the Atreadle or other-device used; fourth, in the use of a spring, or an equivalent force, in combination with the said connecting-rod, for the purpose of taking up any lost motion and formaintaining the auxiliary pins in their proper position relatively with the crank-pin to insure an immediate action of the pawls.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use ymy invention, I will proceed to devscribe the same.

The crank B is formed upon or secured upon one end of the shaft A, Fig. 2. The crankpin b of the crank I form as shown in Fig. 6, the threaded end a being firmly screwed into the crank. Two flanged wheels, F and G,

(shown by transverse sections in Figs. 8, 9, 10,

11,) are firmly secured upon the crank-pin b in the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 6, by means of pins passing through the hubs of each, as shown, :though the wheel G is screwed upon the end of the crank-pin to fix it more securely in such a position. The outer face of the flanges of these wheels f g constitutes the regular surface hereinafter mentioned, with which the friction-pawls bind. c I arrange with each of these flanged wheels an eccentric, m and n, formed upon the arms C and D, and fitted to turn freely upon the crankpin in the position shown in Figs. 3, 4, 8, 9, 10, 11. The periphery of the eccentrics is irregular with the axis of the crank-pin, and constitutes the irregular surface hereinafter mentioned, with which the friction-pawls bind.

L and M, Figs. 8, 9, 10, 11, are the frictionpawls, consisting of two flanges or rings, r r s s, unitedby a web orplate, o. These are arranged with the wheels F and [G and the eccentrics m and a, as shown in Figs. 10 and 11, the regular surfaces f and g being fitted to the inner laces of the ilanges o" r, and the irregular surfaces fml and n being iitted to the inner face of the ilanges` s s.

It will be seen that the center of the eccentrics fm and a are the axes of the pawls, and the center of the crank-pin b is the con'imon axis of the said eccentrics and the iianged wheels F G, and that in consequence of the axes of the pawls being distinct and removed from the common axis, while the flanges w ofthe pawls coincide with the flanges f g of the wheels F G, as though their axes `were common, any change in the relative position of the two axes will tend to change the relative position of the pawls and flanged wheels; but as the connection between the liked flanges f and g and the flanges r r of the pawls prevents this movement, the said ilanges only bind with each` other, and by this means the eccentric-arm becomes instantly fixed to the crank-pin, and is only released by an opposite movement of the eccentric-arms C and D. Y The eccentric-arms C and D extend in opposite directions from the crank-pin, as shown in Figs. l and 3, and on being vibrated upon the crank-pin in either direction the pawls are made to bind between their regular and irregular bearings. To properly control this binding action each pawl is connected to its eccentric-arm by means of a flat spring, lo k, one end of each spring being fastened to the rarm by a screw, and the other loosely to a pin, 3, projecting from the web 0 of each pawl, as shown in Figs. 2, 3, and. 4, the intention being that each of the pawls shall bind only when. its eccentric-arm moves in onev given direction, and that relatively the two pawls shall bind when their respective eccentric-arms are moved in the same direction with respect to the crank-pin, so that when the two arms in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 3 are moved upon the crank-pin in opposite directions, as indicated by the arrows atv h t', at the same time, but one of the arms, C, will be connected fiXedly with the crank-pin, and that (fixed) one, C, shall be that in advance of the crankpin in the direction in which the crank is to turn, as indicated by arrows in Fig. l. To effect this purpose the said springs should be arrangedto connect the pawls and arms, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3,-that is, so that the spring as a connection will cause the pawl to move with the arm when the latter is moved in one direction, as indicated by the Varrows in Fig. 4 at t', and to remain at rest, and, as it were, disconnected from .the eccentric-arm, when the latter is moved in'an opposite direction, as indicated by arrows in Fig. 3 at h, for the purpose of connecting the arm C with the crank-pin by the binding of its pawl.

As the spring-connection 7s simply overcomes the friction between the faces of the -iianges when thearms CandD are movedin `ment of pawls upon the crank-pin of a crank, the connecting-rod or shackle-bar l is attached to two pins, 71J i, projecting from the arms() D instead of directly to the crank-pin b, as formerly practiced, in consequence of which arrangement each movement of the treadle produces the binding action of the pawl connecting the advance pin with the crank-pin, which is thus made auxiliary to and for the time to perform the function of a crank-pin in assist;

ing such pin to pass the dead-point or dead-center, and in directing the force of the treadle.

The connecting-rod Z is, for the purpose of`.

the two arms C D moving in opposite direc' tions upon the crank-pin.' This construction of the connecting-rod Z obviates the necessity of twokrods, or of a forked rod with a spring end, f, as employed in the case above referred to.

To insure immediate action the eccentricarms C D should, while. at rest, be maintained in the position shown in Figs. l and 34-that is, in line with the crank-pin, upon opposite sides thereof. To effect this purpose I make use of the flat spring N, i fastened to the rod Z by a screw at fw, with its upper curved end bearing against the face of the segment j, vformedupon the arm C to receive it. This spring takes up any lost motion7 or slackness in the working parts, and enables such parts to act instantly with each impulse of the treadle.

Having thus described my invention, I wish it understood that I do not claim, broadly, the friction-pawls L M, the same having been previously patented by me the said Turner Williams, under date of September 5, 1860, in Letters Patent No. 645, the invention in this case being conned to the peculiar construction and arrangement of the said pawls herein described.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to `secure by Letters Patent, is-

36,263 I A equivalent yielding force, arranged and operconnecting-rod Z, substantially as described, ating substantially as described, for the purfor the purpose speoied. pose specified. v

3. The peculiar construction of the connect- TURNER WILLLMS ing-1odl, substantiallyas herein shown and Witnesses: described. v IsAAo A. BROWNELL,

4. The spring N, in Combination With the D. K. HOXSIE, 

